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We previously showed that myasthenia gravis (MG) has a mild clinical expression when associated with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). In the present study we have investigated the frequency of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) in patients with Graves' disease (GD) associated with MG as compared with GD patients without MG. A total of 418 patients with GD were studied, 31 with MG and 387 without MG. TAO was evaluated by physical examination, exophthalmometry, computerized tomography, and computerized visual fields assessment. The overall prevalence of TAO was similar in GD patients with MG (61.2%) and in those without MG (56.4%). When the analysis was restricted to GD patients with ocular MG, a greater frequency of TAO was found (84.6%), compared with GD patients without MG or with GD patients with generalized MG, although the differences did not reach the statistical significance. GD patients with MG had a significantly greater prevalence (12.9%) of euthyroid ophthalmopathy (clinically overt ophthalmopathy without previous and/or current hyperthyroidism) than those without MG (3.1%; p = 0.003). The results suggest a preferential association between the ocular manifestations of GD and MG, which may be due to immunological cross-reactivity against common autoimmune targets in the eye muscle as well as to a common genetic background.

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INTRODUCTION: A multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study was carried out in 123 patients suffering from never treated (de novo) idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of the study was to confirm the efficiency and safety of alpha-dihydroergocryptine (alpha-DHEC) given as monotherapy in the symptomatic treatment of PD. The total score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was identified as the efficacy target variable. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-two patients (32 males, 30 females, mean age +/- SD 64 +/- 10) were randomized to alpha-dihydroergocryptine and 61 (30 males, 31 females, mean age 63.8 +/- 9.1) to placebo. According to the experimental design, a 18-month double-blind phase vs placebo was followed. Two interim analyses were planned both at the 3rd and 12th month of treatment, in order to avoid continuation on placebo, if clear differences between groups were found (stopping criterium: nominal significance level equal to 0.022 in the analysis of the target variable). Analysis of variance was performed both on the per protocol (PP) and intent-to-treat (ITT) sample. RESULTS: The results on the first interim analysis showed significant differences between treatment groups of the UPDRS total score both in the ITT (115 patients, alpha-DHEC: No. 56; placebo: No. 59; P=0.019) and PP (96 patients, alpha-DHEC: No. 46; placebo: No. 50; P=0.001) sample, why the trial was stopped. At the time of stopping the trial, 73 patients (alpha-DHEC: No. 37; placebo: No. 36) had reached the 6-month observation visit; the analysis carried out on this subset of patients confirmed the efficacy of alpha-dihydroergocryptine in early PD and the correctness of the decision to stop. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) did not differ between alpha-dihydroergocryptine and placebo recipients, gastrointestinal complaints being the most frequent. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that alpha-dihydroergocryptine is safe and effective in improving symptoms of de novo parkinsonian patients.

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We investigated the prevalence of headache in a group of patients attending a psychiatric clinic because suffering from panic disorder, according to DSM-IV criteria. The psychopathological assessment was performed with the 'Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia Questionnaire' and the presence of headache was evaluated according to the criteria of the International Headache Society. The results showed that two-thirds of patients met the criteria for a diagnosis of headache, with migraine without aura being the most frequent form, followed by tension headache, while two patients only were affected by migraine with aura. When we compared panic patients with and without headache, those with headache had a longer duration of panic disorder, a higher number of attacks and a heavier family loading for panic disorder and headache. This suggests that the comorbidity of headache with panic disorder renders this condition more severe and possibly responsive to different treatments compared to panic disorder alone.

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A multicenter study was carried out in 10 Italian Headache Centers to investigate the prevalence of psychosocial stress and psychiatric disorders listed by the IHS classification as the "most likely causative factors" of tension-type headache (TTH). Two hundred and seventeen TTH adult outpatients consecutively recruited underwent a structured psychiatric interview (CIDI-c). The assessment of psychosocial stress events was carried out using an ad hoc questionnaire. The psychiatric disorders that we included in the three psychiatric items of the fourth digit of the IHS classification were depressive disorders for the item depression, anxiety disorders for the item anxiety, and somatoform disorders for the item headache as a delusion or an idea. Diagnoses were made according to DSM-III-R criteria. At least one psychosocial stress event or a psychiatric disorder was detected in 84.8% of the patients. Prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity was 52.5% for anxiety, 36.4% for depression, and 21.7% for headache as a delusion or an idea. Psychosocial stress was found in 29.5% of the patients and did not differ between patients with and without psychiatric comorbidity. Generalized anxiety disorder (83.3%) and dysthymia (45.6%) were the most frequent disorders within their respective psychiatric group. The high prevalence of psychiatric disorders observed in this wide sample of patients emphasizes the need for a systematic investigation of psychiatric comorbidity aimed at a more comprehensive and appropriate clinical management of TTH patients.

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Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a T-cell-dependent and antibody-mediated autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, in which the cytokine network may be deranged. Specific receptors for interleukin (IL)-6, a cytokine with several effects on the neuroimmune system, have been found on human lymphocytes. The aim of the present study has been to assay IL-6 binding on peripheral blood T cells from MG patients. We found that T cells from MG patients have significantly more IL-6 receptors than those from controls (Bmax: 334 +/- 6 vs 251 +/- 4 (mean +/- SEM) receptors/cell). Such IL-6 binding sites are of the same type in patients and healthy subjects (Kd: 26.5 +/- 0.7 vs 25.7 +/- 0.9 (mean +/- SEM) pM). The enhanced T-cell interleukin-6 binding is due to an increased number of interleukin-6 receptors on T-helper lymphocytes. These results are discussed in terms of MG immunopathogenesis, since it has been reported that activated T cells have increased amounts of IL-6 receptors.

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Myasthenia gravis (MG) may occur in association with autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the features of MG associated with AITD compared to those of MG without AITD. A total of 129 MG patients (34 men and 95 women; age range, 11-81 yr) were subdivided into: group A, 56 MG patients with AITD [25 with autoimmune thyroiditis and 31 with Graves' disease (GD)]; group B, 21 MG patients with nonautoimmune thyroid diseases; and group C, 52 MG patients without thyroid disease. The severity of MG was ranked according to the Osserman score. Laboratory evaluation included assays for antithyroid and antiacetylcholine receptor (AchRAb) antibodies. Ocular MG (Osserman's class 1) was more frequent in group A (41.0%) than in group B (14.2%; P < 0.03) or C (21.4%; P < 0.03). Severe generalized MG (classes > or = 2B) was more frequent in groups B (57.1%; P < 0.03) and C (51.9%; P < 0.02) than in group A (28.5%). GD patients with clinical evidence of ophthalmopathy had a higher frequency (P = 0.05) of ocular MG (57.8%) than GD patients without clinical ophthalmopathy (16.6%). Thymic disease was less frequent in group A (26.7%) than in group B (71.4%; P = 0.001) or C (59.7%; P = 0.001). The prevalence of thymic hyperplasia was 17.8%, 38.0%, and 40.3% in groups A, B, and C, respectively; the prevalence of thymoma was 8.9%, 33.4%, and 19.4%. When only patients with generalized MG were considered, thymic disease was less frequent (P < 0.02) in group A (40.6%) than in the remaining groups (69.4%). AchRAb was more frequent in groups B (57.1%) and C (57.6%; P < 0.03) than in group A (35.7%). In conclusion, MG associated with AITD has a mild clinical expression, with preferential ocular involvement and lower frequency of thymic disease and AchRAb. This supports the hypothesis that ocular and generalized MG are separate diseases with different spectra of associated diseases. Nonautoimmune thyroid diseases have no influence on the features of MG. The association of ocular MG and AITD might be due to a common autoimmune mechanism and/or a peculiar genetic background.

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Various proteins have been detected in human nasal mucus, but their electrophoretic pattern has not been extensively investigated. Therefore, we have studied this pattern in nasal mucus samples from a group of 40 healthy subjects (20 males and 20 females). The electrophoretic separations have been performed under both native and denaturing conditions. The electrophoretic pattern of nasal mucus obtained under denaturing conditions and stained with Coomassie brilliant blue R-250, reveals 17 distinguishable areas into which protein bands are divided, with no significant variations from one individual to another. Eight of these areas contain high concentrations of nasal mucus proteins, whereas lower concentrations are seen in the other nine areas. The electrophoretic patterns of nasal mucus differs from that of eye mucus. The method used for sampling is rapid, simple, requires no local anaesthetic, and supplies an adequate quantity of proteins for laboratory testing. Electrophoresis under denaturing conditions proves to be the better of the two techniques, since it permits good separation of proteins. Among the protein bands revealed in our study there are some already known proteins (i.a. pre-albumim, albumin, lysozymne), but the presence of other proteins which have yet to be identified cannot be excluded. Hence, a study is underway for the purification and identification, by amino-acid sequencing, of the various proteins which make up each band. A through definition of the protein pattern of nasal mucus might prove useful for detecting anomalies in its composition, for example, in cases of olfactory disorders.

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The muscle changes occurring in Parkinson's disease (PD) may come about as a consequence of the modified pattern of motor unit activation and rigidity, which are characteristic of the disease. A tendency towards hypertrophy of type I fibers and, in some instances, atrophy of type II fibers has been observed. Fourteen patients affected by PD and 10 age-matched controls were studied in order to investigate these muscle changes. We indirectly evaluated muscle modifications by measuring muscle fiber conduction velocity (CV) and median frequency (MDF) of the power spectrum using automatic analysis of surface EMG. The tibialis anterior muscle was selected for the study of contractions electrically induced by 35 Hz pulse trains lasting 30 s; the myoelectric signal was detected using the 4-bar electrode technique described by Broman et al. (Broman, H., Bilotto, G. and De Luca, C.J. Myoelectric signal conduction velocity and spectral parameters: influence of force and time. J. Appl. Physiol., 1985, 58: 1428-1437). Muscle biopsy specimens were obtained in 4 PD patients by surgical excision at the site where the EMG recording electrode had been placed. The main difference observed between PD subjects and controls was the rate of change of MDF and CV during the course of stimulated contraction; patients with PD sustained a smaller fatigue related decrease in both parameters compared to controls. According to our histological data, this result can be explained by a type I fiber percentage which accounts for 79% of the myofiber population on average. As expected, the CV basal values correlated directly with type I fiber diameter. These data suggest that non-invasive surface EMG techniques are useful in assessing the modifications of muscle characteristics that are observed in PD patients and for analyzing some aspects of the peripheral fatigue in this disease.

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Frequent or regular intake of antimigraine drugs, including analgesics, constitutes a common cause of chronic daily headache. Discontinuation of symptomatic medication can produce an increase in head pain accompanied by withdrawal symptoms. We report the favourable outcome of treating a group of outpatients with the combination of amitriptyline, dexamethasone and sumatriptan. Dexamethasone (4 mg/day) was given intramuscularly for 2 weeks, amitriptyline orally at night (50 mg/day) for at least 6 months, and sumatriptan subcutaneously to treat acute headache attacks. Eighteen out of 20 patients abstained from drug abuse. Eleven of these 18 patients showed a marked reduction in headache frequency (at least 75% in relation to the basal value), and were considered "very good responders". The other seven patients experienced at least 50% reduction in headache frequency compared to baseline. This preliminary report suggests that drug-induced headache can be treated effectively in outpatients using dexamethasone, amitriptyline and sumatriptan in combination with significant benefit in everyday life conditions.

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The data from histological, biochemical, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA ) studies of muscle biopsies from 10 patients affected with chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) were related to dynamic and metabolic parameters of incremental submaximal exercise. Maximum power output was reduced in all patients as compared to controls. Analysis of the venous lactate curve during exercise revealed a lactate threshold at exercise levels ranging from 40 to 50% of the predicted maximal power output. An earlier significant increase in lactate could be detected by calculating the mean delta lactate. Lactate values were inversely correlated with the cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity of isolated muscle mitochondria. No relationship was found between lactate values and the number of ragged red fibers, or cytochrome c oxidase-negative fibers of the proportion of deleted mtDNA measured in muscle biopsy specimens. The discussion underscores the value of lactate kinetics in assessing skeletal muscle function, as well as the use of muscle COX levels to predict the effectiveness of wild-type complementation of deleted skeletal muscle mtDNA in in vivo contractile performance of CPEO subjects.

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A single-blind, crossover study was carried out to compare the efficacy and safety of pergolide against that of bromocriptine in 57 patients with Parkinson's disease who showed a declining response to levodopa therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either bromocriptine followed by pergolide, or pergolide followed by bromocriptine. Both drugs were administered for 12 weeks. Patients were assessed by a clinician blinded to treatment assignment using the New York University Parkinson's Disease Scale. The average daily dose of pergolide was 2.3 +/- 0.8 mg and of bromocriptine 24.2 +/- 8.4 mg. Addition of pergolide or bromocriptine resulted in a significant improvement in total scores when compared with the previous treatment of levodopa alone (pergolide, p = 0.0001; bromocriptine, p = 0.0005). Pergolide was more effective than bromocriptine in daily living scores (p = 0.02) and motor scores (p = 0.038). No differences in the incidence of dyskinesias, dystonias, or psychosis were observed between groups. Fewer adverse events were recorded in the pergolide group, and most patients and physicians preferred pergolide to bromocriptine. Pergolide as adjunctive therapy to levodopa was more effective than bromocriptine in this short-term trial.

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Past epidemiological and clinical research has identified depression as the most common psychiatric disorder associated with headache. The present study carried out in a neurology headache clinic showed that the major associations were with current anxiety disorders, especially panic and related conditions. These findings were particularly true of the subgroup of migraine with aura; in the relatively few patients with mood disorders, depression was nearly always comorbid with panic or other anxiety disorders. Past history of depression was mainly a characteristic of the tension headache group. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that migraine, especially that with aura, panic disorder and some forms of depressive illness are part of the same spectrum.

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In the last 20 years dopamine agonists have been considered more and more helpful as primary therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently the neuroprotective activity and the therapeutic efficacy of a new ergot derivative, alpha-dihydroergocryptine (DHEC), has been highlighted. In the present work we resume the experimental and clinical data reported about this drug. The rationale for dopamine (DA) agonists as primary therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) is based on the possibility to delay the onset of long term I-dopa syndrome (LTS) (King, 1992); moreover DA agonists seem to exert a neuroprotective effect on substantia nigra neurons. In fact, they stimulate DA receptors bypassing the degenerating nigrostriatal neurons and their metabolic machinery (Lieberman, 1992; Olanow, 1992); more recently, some studies have shown that these drugs have a direct protective effect too (Felten et al., 1992; Yoshikawa et al., 1994). In this minireview we resume the data reported about neuroprotective activity and therapeutic efficacy of a new ergot derivative, alpha-dihydroergocryptine (DHEC).

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We report here a glycogen storage myopathy type V associated with multifocal encephalopathy. The patient, a 43-year-old male with increased serum CK, a heavy drinker and smoker, had been affected by generalized epilepsy since age 24, after a cranial injury. He had had a right hemiparesis 2 years before coming to our observation and a transient left hemiparesis the following year. CT and MRI of the brain showed multiple hemispheric lesions consistent with an ischemic process, as suggested by single photon emission tomography of the brain. Muscle biopsy showed a vacuolar myopathy, and myophosphorylase activity was 13% of the normal mean. Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) performed on resting calf muscles showed increased PCr to ATP and decreased PCr to P(i) ratios. During both aerobic and ischemic exercise 31P-MRS failed to show any cytosolic acidification and phosphomonoesters (PME) accumulation, two MRS findings in agreement with McArdle's syndrome diagnosis. Mitochondrial respiration was also affected as shown by a low PCr to P(i) ratio at rest and by a low rate of PCr re-synthesis during recovery from aerobic exercise. This latter finding in McArdle's disease can be explained by decreased mitochondrial substrate availability, which in turn can contribute to the phenotypic manifestations of the disease.

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Myocardial involvement is frequently present in Xp21-linked muscular dystrophy, due to a lack of dystrophin in cardiac fibres. We describe a 41-yr-old man affected by dilated cardiomyopathy with sporadic episodes of myoglobinuria induced by effort and increased levels of serum creatine kinase. Very mild signs of skeletal myopathy were clinically evident. His mother was affected by an indefinite cardiopathy and suddenly died when she was 36 yr old. Muscle biopsy of the patient showed a dystrophic process. Dystrophin analysis together with a genetic DMD locus study led us to diagnose Becker type muscular dystrophy, with truncated dystrophin and a gene deletion extending from exon 45 to 48. Prevalent cardiac involvement in a Becker type mutation of the dystrophin gene further confirms clinical variability of dystrophinopathies.

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We compared the efficacy and safety of pergolide and bromocriptine in 57 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with a declining response to levodopa therapy in a single-blind, crossover study. Patients were placed randomly on the sequence bromocriptine-pergolide (12 + 12 weeks) or vice versa. Regular evaluations using the New York University Parkinson's Disease Scale were performed by a clinician blinded to treatment assignment. Patients' and clinicians' impressions also were recorded. The average daily dose of pergolide was 2.3 +/0- 0.8 mg, and that of bromocriptine was 24.2 +/- 8.4 mg. Significantly greater efficacy was demonstrated by both drugs as adjunctive therapy to levodopa compared with previous treatment of levodopa alone (pergolide, p = 0.0001; bromocriptine, p = 0.0005; Wilcoxon t test). Pergolide was more effective than bromocriptine in daily living scores (p = 0.020) and motor scores (p = 0.038). No difference in dyskinesias, dystonias, and psychosis was observed. Adverse events were more frequent in bromocriptine-treated patients. Most patients and physicians preferred pergolide to bromocriptine. Pergolide as adjunctive therapy to levodopa was more effective than bromocriptine in this short-term trial.

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We investigated platelet 3H-imipramine (3H-IMI) binding, a putative peripheral serotonergic marker, and the activity of sulphotransferase (ST), an enzyme involved in the catabolism of catecholamines and phenolic compounds, in 14 patients suffering from migraine without aura (MWoA) and in 10 with tension-type headache (TH), as compared with a group of controls. The possible relationships between the biological parameters and clinical features were also examined. The results showed that the two groups of patients had a lower number of 3H-IMI binding sites and a lower activity of the thermolabile form of ST, which acts preferentially on monoamine substrates, than the healthy controls, with no intergroup differences. Significant correlations between psychopathological rating scales and characteristics of the illness were observed in the patients with TH. The decreased number of platelet 3H-IMI binding sites is suggestive of a presynaptic serotonergic dysfunction and confirms the involvement of 5HT in primary headaches. The reduced ST activity might produce changes in the level of sulphated biogenic amines, including dopamine and tyramine, which might have an additional role in the pathophysiology of some aspects of primary headache.

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In an open-label trial, we evaluated the efficacy of clozapine on abnormal involuntary movements in five patients with Huntington's chorea. We administered clozapine at increasing doses of 25, 50, and 150 mg/d for 3 weeks. Subjective self-evaluation of all patients reported reduction of chorea and improvement of daily living activities. At the end of the trial, all patients requested to continue with clozapine. Objective evaluation with the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale demonstrated in all patients moderate-to-marked reduction of abnormal involuntary movements without any significant side effects; the improvement was dose-dependent and markedly decreased 1 week after drug withdrawal.

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The clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) remains difficult and is supported by a favorable response to levodopa, while failure to respond represents an exclusion criterion. Recently, the response to subcutaneous apomorphine has been suggested as a tool in predicting levodopa responsiveness in parkinsonian syndromes. We administered apomorphine at doses of 10, 50, and 100 micrograms/kg subcutaneously against placebo over two consecutive days in 37 patients with parkinsonism and evaluated the motor response for 90 min after each dose. Subsequently, we compared the motor response with the follow-up response to levodopa therapy and to a final diagnosis. Twenty-seven patients of 37 showed a positive response to apomorphine, and 10 had a negative response. All positive responses to the apomorphine test were obtained with 50 or 100 micrograms/kg doses. Because of the high frequency of side effects with the dose of 100 micrograms/kg, 50 micrograms/kg seems more useful. After an adequate period of levodopa/carbidopa therapy (12-month follow-up), 29 patients improved; 25 of these had demonstrated a positive response to the apomorphine test. The final diagnosis of IPD, made on the basis of an exhaustive clinical and neuroradiological evaluation and on the response to chronic levodopa therapy, was in good agreement with the response to the apomorphine test (predictivity of diagnosis, 86.4%). Our data indicate that subcutaneous apomorphine at the dose of 50 micrograms/kg is a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes.

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